


Deadliest of Friendships

by ragingenby



Category: Original Work
Genre: Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Cats, Character Death, M/M, Mild Gore, Original Character-centric, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Unhealthy Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-14 06:15:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29041500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ragingenby/pseuds/ragingenby
Summary: Milo is a house cat who also happens to work for the government. When tasked with keeping important evidence safe, an opposing group of vigilantes appears and attempts to steal the evidence and obstruct the trial. With the stakes stacked against him, can Milo really protect justice? What does “justice” even mean?
Relationships: Original Male Character/Original Male Character
Kudos: 1





	Deadliest of Friendships

**Author's Note:**

> I had written this short story as an assignment for my English class. But, I thought it was good enough to post here. That, and I have enough ideas to warrant both a prequel and sequel. But anyway, enough about that. Hope you enjoy!

Milo was a normal housecat in most aspects, lounging around all day, receiving affection from his owners, eating cat food; the usual. However, unlike most other housecats, he was a member of the Law Keepers. The Law Keepers were a privately funded group of cats charged with protecting the most important evidence of major court cases. 

Milo and his superiors were assigned the case of a senator’s assassination, though Milo was unsure of how he managed to get such an important assignment considering his low rank. But he didn’t mind, he rather enjoyed the responsibility.

Now here he was, waiting patiently on the roof for word from Oreo, the second-in-command just below Aslan, Milo’s boss. Milo’s owners had left that morning, on a trip to visit some family in West Virginia.

Snow had been falling since the previous evening, and Milo shifted his paws to try and keep them warm. Just as he was about to go back inside, Milo saw Oreo trotting leisurely down the driveway. She swiftly climbed a nearby oak tree and leapt from a branch onto the roof, landing just next to Milo. “You sure took your time,” he grumbled, turning to face her. “My paws nearly dropped off from the cold.” Oreo rolled her eyes in amusement. 

“Quit whining, Milo. You’re always late to our meetings anyway. You have no right to complain.” Oreo replied easily, pulling a blue bag off her shoulder. “Now, despite Aslan’s protests, you’ve been tasked with taking care of the evidence for today. Do take care of it and be watchful. The Jet-Black Wings will especially want to get their grubby paws on this piece of evidence.” Milo waved his tail dismissively. 

“Yeah, yeah. I know. Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of it.” Milo promised, chest puffed out with confidence. Oreo laughed.

“Whatever you say, Milo. We’ll be back this evening to check on you.” With that, Oreo jumped straight off the roof, landing neatly in the snow below. She spared another glance at him before turning away and padding back up the driveway, disappearing beyond the fence. Milo took up the bag and clambered down from the roof, shaking off the snow from his paws before heading back inside. He looked around for a bit, trying to decide where the best place would be to hide it. Eventually, he settled on hiding it between the couch cushions, completely certain that no one would show up anyway. He paced around for a while, bored. It’s not like he could leave the house; if Aslan found out, he’d certainly tear Milo apart with a good scolding. 

The sun was slowly making its way across the sky, already just above the trees in the distance. “I sure hate winter,” Milo grumbled. “The days are always so short. It’s depressing.” There was a sudden tap at the window and Milo whipped around, raising his hackles defensively. He relaxed almost instantly, however, when he recognized the mottled white-and-gray pelt of Frost, his best friend. Milo made his way to the window and slid it open. Frost squeezed inside, shaking the snow from his pelt.

“Nearly froze my tail off out there,” Frost huffed. “Thanks for letting me in.” Milo shrugged.

“It’s no biggie. What I’m interested in though,” Milo replied, smiling wickedly, “is how your relationship with Domino is going.” Frost laughed nervously, turning his head away in embarrassment. 

“That is…uh…” Frost stammered, unsure of what to say. Milo bounced on his paws, clearly eager to hear about Frost’s relationship.

“Tell me. Tell me. Tell me.” Milo chanted. Frost sighed, laughing softly. 

“All right, all right. Fine.” 

“Yay!” Milo exclaimed, prancing about as if he’d won some stupendous prize. 

“Okay, okay. I talked to him yesterday and,” Frost paused, shifting his paws on the hardwood floor. “He likes me too. We’re basically mates now.” Milo spun in a little circle, eyes sparkling with pride. 

“My little Frosty. All grown up.” Milo sniffled. “I remember you being just a little kitten like it was yesterday.” Frost rolled his eyes, amusement clear in his gaze.

“You didn’t even know me as a kitten-”

“Hush.” Milo interrupted. “Let me be proud of my boy. But seriously, I’m happy for you. I’m glad you’re happy.” Frost smiled.

“Thanks, Milo. I really appreciate it.” Frost got to his paws, his expression kind. His expression changed suddenly; grave. “Milo…can I be honest with you?” Milo blinked, noticing the change in Frost’s demeanor. 

“Sure. Always.” Milo mewed, a bit taken aback. Frost drew in a shaky breath, eyes glittering with nervousness. 

“I think I’ve gotten myself into something bad, Milo.” Frost began. “Domino…he does something that isn’t very honorable for a living, and even though I don’t want to be a part of it, he won’t take me seriously unless I help.” Milo stared in disbelief. 

“Well,” Milo murmured, unsure of what to say. “If Domino doesn’t want you for you, then who needs him? You’ll find someone who will treat you well, I promise.”

“No, Milo. You don’t understand.” Frost snapped, eyes dark. “I’ve loved him ever since I was young. This is my only chance to show him that I’m worth keeping. I’m sorry.” Milo blinked slowly, confused, then was suddenly swept off his paws and thrown against the wall, knocking down a picture frame and watching as it shattered on the ground. Frost stepped over the broken pieces, hardly noticing them, and pressed a paw against Milo’s exposed throat. Frost suddenly let out a cackling laugh, golden eyes blazing with dangerous excitement. 

“What are you doing?!” Milo gasped, flailing his paws to try and push Frost off. Frost unsheathed his claws, slowly dragging them down Milo’s throat. While Frost didn’t push hard enough for it to bleed, Milo trembled with barely suppressed fear. 

“I’m threatening you.” Frost purred, leaning down until his muzzle was just inches away from Milo’s. “I’ll let you live, so long as you tell me where it is.”

“Where what is?” Milo asked before letting out a wheeze as Frost pressed down harder against Milo’s throat. Frost curled his lip, revealing sharp teeth.

“Don’t play coy. The evidence that you were given this morning. Where. Is. It?” Frost growled. Milo let out a huffing laugh.

“I won’t tell you. If you want it that bad, find it yourself.” Milo shot back, trying hard to hide the tremor in his voice. Frost raised his other paw and raked it across Milo’s side. Milo let out a pained yowl, wriggling and squirming even more. He managed to unbalance Frost and scramble away from him, hackles raised defensively. “Come on, then, pretty boy. Fight me fair and square.” Milo taunted, waving his tail. Frost snorted and crouched before leaping at Milo. Milo dodged easily before headbutting Frost in the side, sending him sliding across the hardwood floor. He crashed into the far wall and sprawled out on the ground. 

Milo ran up to the couch, pulling out the bag and slinging it over his shoulder. I just need to get it out of here, then I can deal with him, Milo thought. He turned sharply when he heard the thumps of someone landing on the ground. Four more cats had come through the window. They fixed their glittering gazes on Milo and the one that seemed to be the leader stepped forward.

“Domino…” Milo breathed. The black-and-brown tom smiled. 

“Yes. That’s me,” He mewed in a silky-smooth voice. He looked at the bag and then glanced over at Frost, who was struggling to his paws. “You have something that we want. And you injured my mate. This is most unfortunate; for you anyway.” Milo glared at the cats with narrowed eyes. The Jet-Black Wings, a notorious group of vigilantes focused on righting wrongs inflicted by the government. Domino is the leader of the group, along with his lackeys Maple, Slate, and Cinder. 

“Frost had mentioned some cat named Domino, but I could’ve never guessed it was you. I never thought his standards were that low.” Milo growled, disdain and annoyance clear in his tone. Domino’s ear twitched, as if insulted, before laughing. 

“Not so bright, are we? I had Frost make it as obvious as possible, but you still didn’t pick up on it.” Milo didn’t reply, he didn’t know how to reply. Domino flicked his tail and Slate, a dark gray tom, broke from their ranks and leaped at Milo. Milo dodged neatly and ran over to the window, trying to slide outside. Claws pricked at his tail, but he pulled away, climbing onto the roof.

The sun had begun to set, and snow was falling. Milo stifled a sneeze as a snowflake fell on his nose. His side ached from the wound he sustained earlier, but there was no blood as far as he could tell. He turned sharply, sending snow flying as Maple’s ginger paw reached up onto the roof. He backed away as she pulled herself up, eyes shining with malice. She leaped at Milo, who dodged and planted his paws in the snow. She skidded, unable to stop, and nearly fell from the roof. Hanging from the gutter, she looked up at him, eyes wide. “H-hey, don’t just stand there. Help me!” Milo glared down at her, an indifferent expression on his face. 

“Sorry. I don’t make bargains with criminals.” Milo muttered, turning away. Slate and Cinder had made their way onto the roof and Cinder immediately went to help Maple. Milo ran over to the tree and swiftly climbed down before sprinting across the snow-covered driveway. As he watched Slate and the others wander around on the roof, Milo pressed a paw to his collar, starting a transmission. “This is Milo, agent 1312. Code black. I repeat, code black.” What he got in response was some broken words engulfed in static. Milo let out an frustrated growl, watching as Slate, Maple, and Cinder made their way off the roof, and Domino and Frost had slipped out of the house. They all had their gazes trained on him as though he were a piece of meat.

“We did warn you, y’know. Running is pointless.” Slate snapped, tail lashing. Slowly, they began to close in on Milo, the falling snow speckling their pelts. Milo turned his amber gaze from cat to cat, taking in their features. 

“If you really want the evidence that bad, come and get it.” Milo growled. Maple raced toward him without a moment’s hesitation. As she reached him, a blur of black-and-white fur appeared and knocked her over, pinning her in the snow. “Checkers!” Milo gasped with relief. Checkers nodded to him, though she didn’t look over. 

“Go, now! Backup is coming.” Checkers hissed, still not turning her gaze towards him. Milo backed away slowly before breaking into a run, racing toward the gate. Frost and Domino pelted after him, slowly gaining on him. He whipped around to face them when they suddenly froze. There were a few angered snarls and then Aslan launched himself at Domino. The two tussled in the snow, slowly staining it red. Patches ran past, taking on Slate and Cinder. 

“Give the evidence to me, I’m faster.” Oreo ordered. Milo nodded and began to hand it over, but Frost leapt up quickly, snatched it, and ran back towards Milo’s house. Milo hissed in annoyance and raced after Frost before Oreo could react. Frost only ran faster, running to the back of the house to try and lose Milo. As Frost came to the far fence, Milo pounced and pinned him down.

“You betrayed me. I was your friend, and you betrayed me.” Milo hissed. Frost let out a dry laugh. 

“I’m still your friend, sure. But I did what I had to. All I wanted was his love. It’s all I ever wanted. And now that I have it, I won’t give it up.” Frost replied easily. Milo growled and slashed his claws across Frost’s face. Frost let out a yowl and began clawing at Milo’s chest and stomach. Milo could feel himself bleeding, but he ignored it, raking his claws again and again against Frost’s neck and sides, blinded by rage. Milo raised his paw to deliver the killing blow and brought down his claws across Frost’s throat. Frost’s eyes widened, as if he didn’t expect for this to happen. 

Frost let out a gurgling, strangled noise, blood bubbling up from his slashed throat. It sounded like he was trying to speak, but Milo couldn’t make out a word, rage still flowing through him. Frost struggled for a moment more, eyes shining with tears, before falling limp. As he did, Milo stared in dismay. “I…killed him.” He breathed, trembling. “I…really…killed him…” Milo staggered, blood dripping from his own wounds, only adding to the pool surrounding Frost; so much that not even the snow could soak it all up. All movement in the driveway had stopped, everyone had stopped fighting to see what became of Frost. Domino stared disbelievingly, slowly padding over to where Frost’s body lay. 

“You did this.” Domino said, voice eerily calm. Milo opened his mouth to defend himself but shut it again. “You killed…my mate.” Domino whipped around to face Milo, eyes blazing with pure fury. He yowled, leaping and pinning down Milo, raking his claws across every bit of flesh she could reach. Milo didn’t fight back; he knew he deserved it. 

“Stop it! Let him go!” Checkers cried, trying to pry Domino off Milo. Domino kicked her away, solely focus on Milo.

“You killed him, so I’ll kill you.” He snarled, slashing at Milo’s stomach, causing him to let out a wail of pain before coughing, blood trickling from his mouth. Cinder pushed Domino off Milo, despite the loud protests from Slate and Maple . 

“Please, Domino. It’s not worth it, let’s just go. We’ll get other assignments later. Let’s just…go. We’ve done enough.” Cinder begged, attempting to appease her leader. Domino looked broken, unsure of what to do with himself. He allowed himself to be led away with Cinder. Aslan watched them leave, claws unsheathed and ready to strike. Maple limped after them, bleeding heavily from her side, leaving a trail of red in her wake. Slate staggered after; one leg twisted at an awkward angle. Patches, Oreo, and Checkers made their way over to Milo, who was breathing shallowly. He turned his dull gaze on them, blood trickling from his mouth at a faster rate. 

“Milo…” Checkers murmured. Milo let out a dry laugh, cutting himself off with another cough. 

“Don’t worry about me,” He rasped. “My time has come.” Oreo shook her head, a desperately determined look overtaking her features. 

“No, I can help. I can…help you.” She insisted. 

“It’s too late for me. Just…get the evidence somewhere safe. That’s the most important thing right now.” He replied slowly, shifting his tail through the snow. “I’m just sorry I never truly got to prove myself to you, Aslan. I know you always thought I was incompetent.” Aslan hesitantly padded over and sat down next to Milo.

“No…I should be the one who’s sorry. I should’ve-” Aslan began, but Milo cut him off, voice growing weaker.

“Shut up and listen. Don’t beat yourselves up for this, it was my decision to risk my life. I’m just grateful I got to work with all of you.” Milo wheezed, trying to be forceful. He tried to say something else, but all that came out was a gasp for breath. He smiled a pained, tired smile before falling limp, eyes glassy. Oreo let out a grief-stricken wail, pressing her face into Milo’s rapidly cooling fur. Patches stared at his paws, shoulders drooping. Checkers pulled Oreo close, comforting her. Aslan simply watched, unable to process everything that happened.

The sun had long set, and the moon was high in the sky. The snow had finally stopped falling, and Frost’s body had been covered, lost in the deep snow. Milo’s body was buried that night right next to his family’s home. Checkers, Patches, and Oreo had all headed home, but Aslan stayed. He spent all day trying to figure out what he wanted to say, and he finally found the right words.

“Milo…though you hardly ever took things seriously, and were pretty careless, we cared about you. Even though I didn’t show it, I found your comments during meetings amusing. You always knew just what to say to get someone to laugh. I’m just…sorry that I put you through all of this…” Aslan sighed, bowing his head. “I know you can’t hear me, but I really did care about you. You weren’t incompetent. In fact, you were far from that. I wish I could’ve told you that. But, it’s too late now. If only…things were different…” With that, Aslan drew himself up, putting on a brave face, and headed back to the Law Keepers base, knowing that despite losing someone from their ranks, they’re expected to get the evidence back safely. 

The next morning, Aslan returned. He watched in silence as two other Law Keepers, Lily and Fluffy, cleaned up the scene. Fluffy sniffed at the melting snow before motioning to Lily. He began to dig, eventually revealing Frost’s broken body, throat shredded, and fur matted with dried blood. Lily scrunched her nose in disgust, but helped Fluffy drag it to the driveway, and placed it inside a small bag. Aslan looked down at his paws, trying to understand all the thoughts racing through his mind. 

“Why do we treat death as though it’s simply an inconvenience,” Aslan murmured to himself, unsheathing his claws and sinking them into the damp ground. “Despite Milo’s sacrifice, we were praised for just bringing the evidence. They hardly acknowledged his death. Are we really that disposable?” Aslan let out a sigh, sheathing his claws, just as his collar vibrated. He raised a paw and pressed it against his collar. “I know. I’ll be there soon.” He answered, then ended the transmission before anyone could reply. Aslan got to his paws, slowly making his way back to headquarters.

Aslan turned back for a moment, his gaze desperately searching the driveway, as if it could somehow bring Milo back. But, there was only Lily and Fluffy, continuing their clean-up. The weight of his grief pressed against his chest, and he shook himself a few times, willing himself to forget about Milo and move on. He had a job to do, after all. To protect and serve. 


End file.
